Sysco Central Florida, Ocoee, Fla., awarded $13,750,000

Sysco Central Florida, Ocoee, Fla., has been awarded a maximum $13,750,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, bridge contract.  This contract is for prime vendor food and beverage support.  Location of performance is Florida with a May 10, 2014 performance completion date.  Using military services are Army, Navy, and Air Force.  Type of appropriation is Fiscal 2013 through Fiscal 2014 Defense Working Capital funds.  The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM300-13-D-3662).

Defense.gov: Contracts for Friday, May 10, 2013

Cubic Simulation Systems Inc., Orlando, Fla., awarded $19,930,555

Cubic Simulation Systems Inc., Orlando, Fla., is being awarded a $19,930,555 modification (P00002), to a previously award firm-fixed-price, foreign-military-sales (FMS) contract (W900KK-13-C-0010), for the procurement of Israeli Defense Forces Engagement Skills Trainer 2000 Plus Systems and related services.  This FMS contract is in support of Israel.  The cumulative total face value of this contract is $21,074,480.  Fiscal 2013 Procurement funds are being obligated on this award.  The Army Program Executive Office for Simulation,  Training and Instrumentation, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity.

Defense.gov: Contracts for Friday, May 10, 2013

Orion Marine Construction Inc., Tampa, Fla., awarded $8,927,250

Orion Marine Construction Inc., Tampa, Fla., was awarded a firm-fixed-price contract with a maximum value of $8,927,250 for dredging services.  Work will be performed in La Port, Texas.  Fiscal 2013 Operations and Maintenance funds are being obligated on the award.  Four bids were solicited, with four bids received.  The Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston, Texas, is the contracting activity (W9126G-13-C-0023).

Defense.gov: Contracts for Wednesday, May 08, 2013

B/E Aerospace, Inc., Consumables Management, Miami, Fla., awarded $6,606,850

B/E Aerospace, Inc., Consumables Management, Miami, Fla., has been awarded a maximum $6,606,850 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity with price redetermination contract for various parts for engines, avionics, wheels, and brakes.  Location of performance is Florida with a May 5, 2017 performance completion date.  Using services are Army, Navy, and Air Force.  Type of appropriation is fiscal 2013 Defense Working Capital funds.  The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Richmond, Va., (SPM4AX-13-D-9402).

Defense.gov: Contracts for Monday, May 06, 2013

Is This the Twilight of the Defense Industrial Base? - NDIA Blog

"One of Washington’s most influential insiders, John J. Hamre, president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, is warning that the defense industry is in danger of becoming increasingly irrelevant and helpless in overcoming hostile political forces.

In a May 10 letter to the CSIS board of trustees, titled, “An Honest Look at the Military-Industrial Complex,” Hamre said he worries that arms manufacturers, while perceived as powerful members of the Pentagon-Congress-industry triad, are rapidly losing clout.

“One of the enduring myths of Washington politics is that the defense industry is an ominous, all-powerful puppeteer, manipulating the actions of politicians, political appointees, generals, and admirals,” Hamre wrote. “I have been observing this community for nearly 30 years, and the truth is that it is the weak partner to the Defense Department.”"

Is This the Twilight of the Defense Industrial Base? - Blog

FLDC Membership Renewal: PRC Digital Media

PRC Digital Media is the Producers Resource Center. We're North Florida's prime resource for television producers and corporate clients worldwide. TV shows, safety videos, commercials, documentaries and Multimedia Job Performance Aids are among our successes since 1988.

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FLDC Welcomes New Member: Space Coast Jet Center Inc

SPACE Coast Jet Center is a FULL SERVICE FBO offering a comfortable and pleasurable visit with all of the amenities of home. We are located on the WEST side of KTIX. Our goal is to welcome our visitors and ensure their visit is a happy and memorable experience. Whether you are visiting one of our local attractions, vacationing at a neighboring theme park, or hurrying in for a business meeting, we welcome Tourists, Corporate and Seasonal Travelers with the same excellent service one expects in a Full Service FBO. Our staff takes pride in meeting and exceeding our customer's needs. Call us before your arrival to have a rental car reserved on our premises especially for you. Fly in soon and Welcome!

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Navy's Chief of Operations: Mayport, NAS are big parts of future plans - jacksonville.com

"U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw, a member of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, said with the Navy’s newest ships and planes scheduled to be based at Mayport and NAS, the region is “very much a part of the future of the Navy.”

[Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Jonathan] Greenert was asked about President Barack Obama’s defense budget for 2014 including a proposed round of base closures and realignments by 2015.

He said while he supports the idea of measuring the Navy’s efficiency, “when I look I around I don’t see any dramatic need or any area that requires closure.”

Crenshaw, a Jacksonville Republican, also responded to the question, saying that he did not believe there was “much of an appetite in Congress” to close military bases.

“I think my colleagues that I talk to from time to time don’t think it is a big priority,” he said."

Navy's Chief of Operations: Mayport, NAS are big parts of future plans | jacksonville.com

FLDC Welcomes New Member: AirScan Inc

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Defense spending cuts lowering job gains - fdlreporter.com

"Besides layoffs, hundreds of defense contractors are not filling open positions and putting off new hiring, says Loren Thompson, a defense analyst with the Lexington Institute. Defense cuts likely will pare job gains by 25,000 to 30,000 a month this year, says Stephen Fuller, an economist at George Mason University, who has done studies for the AIA.

Small to midsize firms are seeing contracts for information technology and other services ended. Others are receiving fewer requests for proposals and orders from large contractors."

Defense spending cuts lowering job gains | Fond du Lac Reporter | fdlreporter.com

Editor's Note: The Florida Legislature missed an opportunity when it adjourned last week providing no relief for Florida defense businesses. Measures the legislature passed help the general business climate within the state and in some cases only attain parity with other states. State leaders could have provided more than parity with other states to improve the competitiveness of small, medium, and large defense businesses, but failed to do so.

Unfortunately, we are already losing some of the high-tech, high-wage jobs defense companies provide the state's economy (See Florida WARN Notices for 2013).